Tue 23 Jun 2009
Speaker of the Arizona House, Kirk Adams, has gone on the public relations offense with a series of YouTube videos. Here is the first of that series:
Listen to these short message and you will understant what is happening in the People’s House of Arizona.
Here is the link to the Arizona House YouTube account.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Thank you Mr. Speaker, but please explain why the accounting gimmicks for the K-12 and AHCCCS rollovers…instead of spending more than is taken in, the legislature just moves a chunk into the next fiscal year…then the next..then the next…when does it end?
June 24th, 2009 at 8:30 am
It gets worse.
The budget plan is packed with gimmicks and one-time fixes.
It’s as though “Leadership” thinks the budget mess will be resolved in 2011 and there won’t be any budget deficit. With all the extra debt from Janet and, now, the Republican leaders, we will have huge problems in 2011 and no gimmick room left.
As to the answer to Matt’s question: When the rollover is $11 billion.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:36 am
All of these “leaders” are just banking on the problem catching up when they are either no longer in office and have to vote, or they can justify it by saying they were against it before they were for it. At least the governor is being upfront in her plans and purpose.
Shifting responsibilities to cities creating additional fees and taxes, borrowing and accounting gimmicks goes against Norquist’s pledge just as much if not more than proposing a tax increase. At least with a proposal there is transparency and honesty.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Send the Governor the Budget!
June 24th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
The majority budget is probably not what leadership would prefer with fund shifts and rollovers. It is, however, the only budget that would draw enough votes to get it through the legislature. It is difficult to get to 16 and 31 because there are always members who won’t vote for a budget that takes too much from their favorite agency and members who won’t vote for a budget that doesn’t cut enough. There will be a special session to deal with the necessity of more cuts to reach a balance with the state’s falling revenues. I think leadership did a great job with the recalcitrant caucus members they have at each end of the philosophical spectrum.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Everyone please understand what Jean McGrath just said. She is stating what I think the lege leadership knows – this budget is a sham because they will need to have a special session to make even more cuts because they have totally bogus revenue projections.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Gee, lets just state the obvious.
The far right believes in magic fairy dust of tax cuts that will save the day by growing revenues.
The housing boom has busted. All of those tax cuts that we had, and all of that big money that was spent through initiatives will now have to be covered by tax increases.
You can’t cut what is left of government to zero (that you can cut without cutting off federal money) and balance the budget. Now, Jan Brewer, who is a *real* conservative, has asked for a temporary tax increase. How about rolling back tax cuts instead? Roll back all taxes to the 2000 level and we would not have a deficit!!!
Do a deal with the dems and fund state government or find that you will have no republican base after the next election.
Sometimes making a bad deal is better than loosing entirely.